Nature Moncton Nature News: July 11 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

July 11, 2024

Nature Moncton members, as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond, are invited to share their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition of Nature News

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**All appreciation to Wendy Sullivan for hosting and leading the Nature Moncton Wednesday night walk to Mill Creek in Riverview. Fred Richards reports the site is a wonderful place for a group of naturalists to sleuth.

Brian Stone joined the ten Nature Moncton participants for the weekly Wednesday Night Walk. The temperature was a bit "ovenly", but all made the trip with no problems and had a good time.

Several Northern Pearly-Eye butterflies were flitting about in the bushes beside the trail and Brian spotted a Northern Azure butterfly that sat down briefly for a photo. At the dam, several eagle-eyed members noticed a female Common Whitetail dragonfly resting on the large rocks that Brian identified incorrectly to the group as a Twelve-spotted Skimmer. Maybe the heat was getting to him by then. A small nest about the size of an orange was noted on the ground and a large number of brown mushrooms beside the trail were looking a bit old. One small patch of Chanterelle mushrooms was examined and a large Garter snake and a Green frog escaped the camera to remain anonymous.

** Peter Gadd spent a couple of hours Wednesday morning at Miramichi Marsh. Two Solitary Sandpipers were at large, two more migrating shorebirds that seem to be leaving their breeding territory early although they do not breed too far to the north of NB, perhaps even in central NB according to David Sibley. Also, three fledgling Spotted Sandpipers were seen perhaps within meters of their breeding ground at the marsh itself.

Four Eastern Kingbird fledglings were patiently waiting in their now crowded nest although both parents were nearby and in no hurry to feed them it seemed.

A Wilson’s Snipe occupied a very tall, thin birch snag for some time surveying the marsh, seen later at a regular muddy flat, deciding perhaps the coast was clear.

Tuesday morning, July 9^th, Peter was asked to try to identify a white bird visiting an apartment complex in Nelson, Miramichi.

After consulting Mathieu Carroll and Dave McLeod it was determined to be an albino Chipping Sparrow.
(Editor's note: partial albino/leucistic birds are fairly commonly encountered. However, a true albino is very uncommon. The red eye indicating a total lack of pigment indicates this is truly an albino individual.)

**Aldo Dorio photographed a Killdeer at Tabusintac on Wednesday noting a young-of-the-year was nearby but not able to get a photograph.

Aldo also got a documentary photo of a shorebird showing a slightly down-curved bill that would suggest it to be a possible Pectoral Sandpiper or Least Sandpiper.

**On Sunday last Brian Stone went behind Crandall University to check for butterflies and found a pair of Clouded Sulphur butterflies deeply involved in a mating ‘dance’. He also noted an interesting Ichneumon Wasp and a Flower Fly and some pink tinged Queen Anne's Lace that were displaying the dark central bloom.

**We have several hundred species of moths and nocturnal insects in New Brunswick that are attracted to light.

The warm nights at the moment are sending a big variety to visit the moth light of Nelson Poirier.

Many are strikingly marked and very beautiful when photographed and are enjoyable to see. Some of the patrons featured from Tuesday night include the Virgin Tiger moth, Harris’s Three- spot moth, Formosa Looper moth, Salt-and-Pepper Looper moth, Round-headed Apple Tree Borer, Poplar Borer, and Alder Borer.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nature Moncton